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XLNT news for teachers and parents and a reason for kids to LOL. Despite rumors that texting causes children to be poor spellers, a new study from researchers at the University of Alberta showed that commonly used instant messaging language—otherwise known as simple messaging service (SMS)—doesn’t impact a child’s spelling. Poor spellers remain poor spellers and good spellers remain good spellers.
Connie Varnhagen and her colleagues surveyed about 40 students aged 12 to 17. The researchers asked them to save their instant messages for a week. At the end of the week, all the students took a standardized spelling exam.
“Kids who are good spellers [academically] are good spellers in instant messaging,” Varnhagen said. “And kids who are poor spellers in English class are poor spellers in instant messaging.”
The researchers learned that texting varied by sex. Girls were more likely to use SMS to communicate, and boys used repeated punctuation to express emotions (awesome!!!!). Boys who frequently used abbreviations tended to be poorer spellers, while girls who did the same were better spellers than girls who did not shorten words in texts. The large and evolving SMS lexicon also impressed researchers. They admitted they often had to look up abbreviations in online dictionaries or ask younger people to define some abbreviations.
See Also: Why Text Messages Are Only 160 Characters
(Photo courtesy of Flickr user semarr, used via Creative Commons license.)
Comments (16)
Comment
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I so hate the texting vocabulary… especially when people use it in non-texting applications like on Yahoo Answers (to which I am seriously addicted, ha) when you have plenty of space to spell out complete words and thoughts and probably should so people can answer your question.
In email, texts, IMs, chat, etc… I always spell things completely out, but I don’t always capitalize correctly, ha.
posted by Sarah in CA on 9-30-2009 at 1:06 pm
I was wondering the other day if texting had an impact on basic literacy rates, and if text-speak had an influence on kids reading abilities.
posted by Anne on 9-30-2009 at 1:08 pm
There’s more research on this that was featured in September’s Wired magazine: http://www.teachforever.com/2009/09/chivalry-may-be-dead-but-literacy-aint.html
posted by Tom DeRosa on 9-30-2009 at 1:38 pm
40 people doesn’t seem like a very scientific sample.
posted by Jen on 9-30-2009 at 2:04 pm
WTF Sara…you didn’t spell out et cetera!
Classic.
posted by graham on 9-30-2009 at 2:09 pm
I don’t know about this. Only 40 people were surveyed? That’s not a lot of people to me.
I can understand you only have so many characters to use on a phone, but if you’re using instant messaging, (on your computer with a full sized keyboard) why can’t you spell out a whole word or use correct punctuation?
posted by Christina on 9-30-2009 at 2:17 pm
40 students can be enough if they are truly selected at random. What’s more important is what schools they were selected from…if the study disregarded low-income school districts for example, then obviously the sample is biased.
posted by Yams on 9-30-2009 at 2:31 pm
I just hope the study was not paid for by a government grant.
My favorite SMS is LMAO (laugh my a** off)
posted by graham on 9-30-2009 at 2:39 pm
I am constantly floored by how many people use texting lingo in professional communications, especially emails. Sadly, I’ve had to decipher quite a few emails for co-workers lately.
posted by Trena on 9-30-2009 at 2:51 pm
While I think this is an interesting preliminary study, I too am concerned about the sample size and how the sample was achieved. In social sciences (and I’m guessing this was done by education or social work or sociology) you need a sample of at least 120 in order to be statistically significant. Although it is an interesting finding and I’ll be interested to see what other studies have for results.
posted by jmayhp on 9-30-2009 at 3:28 pm
I don’t know…seems to me the question this study was attempting to answer is one that I haven’t seen asked. Most of the articles I’ve read have wondered whether students are more likely to use “txt speak” in other applications.
In my own experience as a middle school teacher, students do tend to use text message abbreviations far more often, especially in less formal assignments or assignments in which there are strict time limits (i.e. quizzes or tests).
On the other hand, i remember abbreviating my answers on tests in middle and high school, before the advent of SMS messaging. They were simply different abbreviations. For example, I would never write “IDK” for “I don’t know.” (That’s the one that really bugs me every time I see it)
I might, though, say w/ instead of with or b/c instead of because.
posted by Nathan R on 9-30-2009 at 4:31 pm
I can not believe you are all fixated on the amount of people studied and not the study itself. It is a pointless waste of time to study the texting habits of 12 to 17 year olds.
Shouldn’t the University be focusing on something more important than why a 13 year old says “OMG”.
It’s short hand people, it’s faster, you have less space to say what you want.
That’s the answer! Time…
OMG!!!
posted by graham on 9-30-2009 at 5:26 pm
Agreed with above about the sample size – “40 students aged 12 to 17″. I know it’s difficult to get underage participants, but 40 is way low.
I took an English for future teachers class in college (fall 07), which somehow fit in with my creative writing minor and ALL I heard from those on their student teaching was how texting slang was making its way into the students’ papers and how the students had a difficult time with ‘professional’, ‘educational’ and ‘personal’ written dialogue. I’m sure that’s something we’ve all dealt with and this is just another case of “back in my day”, blah blah blah.
recaptcha – “and musks” and how.
posted by OkieMelissa on 10-1-2009 at 12:09 pm
I think that texting has actually helped me learn the correct way to spell certain words. Sometimes when I type things in, the auto spell will not be able to find the word, so I am forced to learn how to spell it correctly so that a) the phone’s dictionary will recognize it, and b) so I don’t look like an idiot to the receiver!
posted by Ashley B on 10-1-2009 at 1:29 pm
I don’t really mind others who doesn’t spells out the whole word or phrase it just easier for them me I spell out the entire word or phrase and if I don’t understand what that are trying to say I can alway ask them.
posted by Kari on 10-1-2009 at 2:20 pm
My husband absolutely hates abbreviations in text messages, so I don’t abbreviate. Even if I have to type “tonight” or “need”.
And while abbreviating may be faster for the sender, it certainly isn’t faster for the person trying to sort out the message!
(Also agree that the study had way too few participants. Would love to see the results of a larger study).
posted by Logan on 10-19-2009 at 5:26 am